Schlock, but good schlock

The Countess arrived more or less unheralded in our house, and on a quiet evening after a hard day, her appeal was great. I mean, “She sacrificed all for love... and sacrificed others for beauty. A 17th century Hungarian countess embarks on a murderous undertaking, with the belief that bathing in the blood of virgins will preserve her beauty.” What’s not to like about that? The Countess is a nice Gothic romp, lovely costumes, menacing castles, secret passages, just enough S&M to keep things interesting and, of course, bleedin’ virgins. Nice philosophical questions too, to be asked with a sadistic glint in the eye, natch. Like, is a woman who has shared herself only with other women still a virgin? Of course it bears no relation to the true story (whatever that might be) or to the many other versions of the same story. But it did pass the time pleasantly enough.

[Rating: 2.5]